Online hate doesn’t stay on the screen — it follows women and girls into their real lives.
On Day 3 of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, Contento Social Homes highlights the severe emotional, psychological, and physical consequences of digital hate.
Online abuse is often dismissed as “just comments” or “only online,” but for survivors, the impact is deeply real.
What Is Online Hate?
Online hate includes:
- Abusive comments
- Threats or intimidation
- Misogynistic messages
- Hate speech and targeted harassment
- Mockery, shaming, or coordinated attacks
- Viral humiliation and reputational harm
These behaviours create an environment where women and girls feel unsafe, both digitally and physically.
How Online Hate Causes Real-World Harm
Online violence has measurable offline consequences.
Women experiencing digital hate often report:
- Anxiety, depression, and trauma
- Fear of leaving home or engaging socially
- Disruption to work, education, and daily routines
- Long-term emotional distress
- Increased vulnerability to real-world harm
- Re-triggering for domestic abuse survivors
Online hate is not harmless — it has the power to change how women see themselves, their relationships, and their world.
Why Addressing Online Hate Matters
When digital platforms fail to respond, abusers feel empowered.
When communities ignore hate, it grows.
When survivors stay silent, the violence continues.
Ending online hate is crucial to:
- Protect women’s mental health
- Promote safety in digital spaces
- Prevent escalation into offline violence
- Ensure women and girls can speak freely online
- Break cycles of abuse linked to domestic violence
Every act of online hate chips away at someone’s wellbeing — and every act of accountability helps rebuild safety.
Our Call to Action
Day 3 challenges us to recognise the link between digital hate and real-life harm.
Everyone has a role to play: reporting abusive content, supporting survivors, and calling out harmful behaviour.
Online hate causes offline pain.
Ending it saves lives.
